Ahmedabad: The Gujarat police have taken action against 14 individuals involved in a human trafficking case, where they attempted to illegally send over 60 people from Gujarat to the United States via the Mexico border. The accused, including agents from Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, and Dubai, were booked under sections 370 (human trafficking), 201 (destroying evidence), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Among the named individuals are Jogendra (Jaggi Paaji), Joginder Manasram, Raja Bhai, Raju Panchal, and Salim from Delhi, Mumbai, and Dubai, respectively. Additional suspects include Chandresh Patel, Kiran Patel, Bhargav Darji, Sandip Patel, Piyush Barot, Arpitsinh Zala, Biren Patel, Jayesh Patel, and Sam Paaji. The agents allegedly promised to facilitate the illegal entry of passengers into the US after reaching Nicaragua, charging them between ₹60 lakh to ₹80 lakh.
The investigation revealed that these agents, working closely with counterparts in the US, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dubai, and Delhi, had previously sent individuals to Nicaragua in three separate groups in December. The detained flight, originally bound for Nicaragua, was grounded in France last month over suspected human trafficking, carrying 260 Indians, including 66 from Gujarat.
Passengers from Gujarat were instructed by the agents to identify as asylum-seeking Khalistanis in case of interception by US authorities. The agents, responsible for flight bookings, ensured their legal preparedness and reportedly forced passengers to delete trip-related content from their phones. The accused had orchestrated the travel from Gujarat to Dubai on tourist visas, boarding a chartered flight from Fujairah International Airport on December 21. The flight was operated by Legend Airlines and was headed for Nicaragua but made a stopover in Vatry near Paris, where French police intervened.
Investigations revealed that Delhi-based agents handled all flight bookings, and preparations were in place for potential legal issues. The police are set to issue look-out circulars against the 14 agents, with no arrests made thus far. The passengers are believed to have agreed to pay the agents only upon reaching the US.
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